JP2021128251A - Electronic apparatus and control method for the same, program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an electronic apparatus that can notify a user of the influence of an operation of a lens or a device on a picked-up image.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus comprises: an acquisition unit that can acquire an image picked up through a lens, the lens in which, by performing predetermined processing, a subject image passing through the lens has characteristics in blur compared with a case where the predetermined processing is not performed; and a control unit that can control to display an image on a display, the control unit controlling to display guidance related to the characteristics of the blur together with the image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device capable of display control related to a lens capable of adjusting the characteristics of bokeh.

Some lenses can give the bokeh an effect different from the general feature that the aperture gives to the bokeh, and can further control the magnitude of this effect.

Patent Document 1 discloses an image pickup optical system having a soft focus function capable of adjusting spherical aberration without changing the best focus position or screen peripheral performance with respect to the position of the image sensor.

Patent Document 2 discloses an optical system and an imaging device capable of changing the effect of an apodization filter by applying a voltage to a liquid in an optical element to change the transmittance.

JP-A-2018-180132 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-228507

In Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the effect of blurring can be changed, but it may be difficult to understand the effect just by looking at it indiscriminately, or a clear effect may not appear depending on the content of the subject and the state of the aperture. ..

Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult for the user to understand what kind of effect the application of the effect has on the image and what kind of operation should be performed to obtain a larger effect.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device capable of notifying a user of the influence of an operation of a lens or an apparatus on a captured image.

The electronic device according to the present invention is a lens, and by performing a predetermined process, an image of a subject passing through the lens is imaged through a lens having a characteristic of blurring as compared with the case where the predetermined process is not performed. An acquisition means capable of acquiring the image, a control means capable of controlling the display of the image on the display means, and a control means for controlling the display of the image together with the guidance regarding the feature of the blur. It is characterized by having.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electronic device capable of notifying a user of the influence of an operation of a lens or an apparatus on a captured image.

The block diagram of the digital video camera which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the condition which performs guidance display in 1st to 4th Embodiment, and an example of guidance. The flowchart which shows the processing of the digital video camera of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the display part which is displaying the guidance. The block diagram which shows the functional structure example of a lens. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the transmittance characteristic of APD in FIG. 5 and an example of the relationship between an F value and a T value. The figure which showed the effect of APD schematically. The flowchart which shows the processing of the digital video camera of 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the processing of the digital video camera of 3rd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the processing of the digital video camera of 4th Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiment, not all of the plurality of features are essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the attached drawings, the same or similar configurations are given the same reference numbers, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

(First Embodiment)
<Configuration of digital video camera>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a digital video camera 100 according to a first embodiment of the electronic device of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the shutter 101 is a shutter having an aperture function. The image pickup unit 22 is capable of acquiring an image pickup image, and includes an image pickup element composed of a CCD, a CMOS element, or the like that converts an optical image into an electric signal. The A / D converter 23 converts the analog signal output from the imaging unit 22 into a digital signal.

The image processing unit 24 performs resize processing such as predetermined pixel interpolation and reduction, color conversion processing, and the like on the data from the A / D converter 23 or the data from the memory control unit 15. Further, in the image processing unit 24, a predetermined calculation process is performed using the captured image data, and the system control unit 50 performs exposure control and focus detection control based on the obtained calculation result. As a result, TTL (through-the-lens) AF (autofocus) processing, AE (autoexposure) processing, and EF (flash pre-flash) processing are performed. Further, the image processing unit 24 performs a predetermined calculation process using the captured image data, and also performs a TTL method AWB (auto white balance) process based on the obtained calculation result.

The output data from the A / D converter 23 is written directly to the memory 32 via the image processing unit 24 and the memory control unit 15 or via the memory control unit 15. The memory 32 stores image data obtained by the imaging unit 22 and converted into digital data by the A / D converter 23, and image data for display on the display unit 28. The memory 32 has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images, moving images for a predetermined time, and audio.

The OSD drawing unit 25 draws an image for on-screen display on the graphic VRAM secured in the memory 32 according to the instruction of the system control unit 50. A menu screen for making various settings of the digital video camera 100 using font data and icon data stored in the non-volatile memory 56, an information display screen showing the operating status of each part of the digital video camera 100, and a user can use the information display screen. A guidance display screen for appropriately operating the operation unit 70 and the like is configured, and drawing is performed on the graphic VRAM.

The memory 32 also serves as a memory (video memory) for displaying an image. The display control unit 13 superimposes and synthesizes the image display data and the graphic VRAM data stored in the memory 32, converts the data into a digital video signal, and supplies the data to the display unit 28. The display unit 28 displays on a display such as an LCD according to the digital video signal from the display control unit 13. By sequentially performing this series of processes, the display unit 28 functions as an electronic viewfinder provided with an information display, and can perform a through image display. Further, in the present embodiment, the display unit 28 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. Alternatively, another type of display such as an organic EL (Organic Electroluminescence) display may be adopted. The display unit 28 is separate from the digital video camera 100 even if it is integrated with the housing of the digital video camera 100, and can receive a digital video signal transmitted from the digital video camera 100 by a cable or wireless communication. It may be received and displayed.

The non-volatile memory 56 is a memory that can be electrically erased and recorded. The non-volatile memory 56 stores constants, programs, and the like for the operation of the system control unit 50. The program referred to here is a program for executing various flowcharts described later in the present embodiment.

The system control unit 50 controls the entire digital video camera 100. By executing the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 described above, each process of the present embodiment described later is realized. RAM is used as the system memory 52. In the system memory 52, constants and variables for the operation of the system control unit 50, a program read from the non-volatile memory 56, and the like are expanded. The system control unit 50 also controls the display by controlling the memory 32, the OSD drawing unit 25, the display control unit 13, the display unit 28, and the like. The system timer 53 is a time measuring unit that measures the time used for various controls and the time of the built-in clock.

The mode changeover switch 60, the first shutter switch 61, the second shutter switch 62, and the operation unit 70 are operation means for inputting various operation instructions to the system control unit 50. Each operation member of the operation unit 70 is assigned a function as appropriate for each scene by selecting and operating various function icons displayed on the display unit 28, and acts as various function buttons. Examples of the function button include an end button, a back button, an image feed button, a jump button, a narrowing down button, an attribute change button, and the like. For example, when the menu button is pressed, various settable menu screens are displayed on the display unit 28. The user can intuitively make various settings by using the menu screen displayed on the display unit 28, the up / down / left / right four-direction buttons and the SET button.

The mode changeover switch 60 switches the operation mode of the system control unit 50 to any one of a still image recording mode, a moving image recording mode, a still image reproduction mode, a moving image reproduction mode, and the like. The modes included in the still image recording mode include auto shooting mode, auto scene discrimination mode, manual mode, various scene modes for shooting settings for each shooting scene, program AE mode, aperture priority AE mode (hereinafter referred to as AV mode), and shutter speed. There are priority AE mode (hereinafter TV mode), custom mode, manual mode (hereinafter M mode) and the like. The mode changeover switch 60 directly switches to any of these modes included in the still image shooting mode. Alternatively, after switching to the still image shooting mode once with the mode changeover switch 60, the mode may be switched to any of these modes included in the still image shooting mode by using another operating member. Similarly, the moving image shooting mode may include a plurality of modes. The first shutter switch 61 is turned on by a so-called half-press (shooting preparation instruction) during the operation of the shutter button 63 provided on the digital video camera 100, and the first shutter switch signal SW1 is generated. The first shutter switch signal SW1 starts operations such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (autoexposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-flash) processing.

The second shutter switch 62 is turned on when the operation of the shutter button 63 is completed, that is, when the shutter button 63 is fully pressed (shooting instruction), and the second shutter switch signal SW2 is generated. The system control unit 50 starts a series of shooting processing operations from reading the signal from the imaging unit 22 to writing the image data to the recording medium 200 by the second shutter switch signal SW2.

The power supply control unit 80 is composed of a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit for switching a block to be energized, and the like, and detects whether or not a battery is installed, the type of battery, and the remaining battery level. Further, the power supply control unit 80 controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection result and the instruction of the system control unit 50, and supplies a necessary voltage to each unit including the recording medium 200 for a necessary period.

The lens connecting portion 91 is a lens mounting portion of the digital video camera 100, and includes a lens communication contact, a lens lock mechanism, and a lens mount determined by a standard. The lens 90 is a lens mounted on the lens connection portion 91, and can give a soft focus effect to the optical image by providing a mechanism that can change the spherical aberration. Spherical aberration is an aberration when light emitted from one point on the same optical axis does not concentrate on one point on the optical axis after passing through a lens. Spherical aberration has the effect of changing the contrast of the focused subject, that is, the soft focus effect, but at the same time it has the characteristic of smoothing the outline of the blurred subject image, which is different from the effect that the aperture gives to the blur. be. For example, when the spherical aberration is increased, a part of the light flux is focused in front of the focus surface, and as a result, the light flux of the rear blur becomes wider. Therefore, even if the aperture diameter is the same, the rear blur appears to be large and smooth. Alternatively, when the spherical aberration is increased in the opposite direction, the luminous flux of the front blur spreads, and the front blur becomes large and smooth. It is also possible to form a sharp optical image on the imaging unit 22 without applying the soft focus effect.

The lens 90 includes a plurality of rings for changing focus, zoom, aperture, and spherical aberration. In FIG. 1, a ring for changing spherical aberration is shown as a spherical aberration changing ring 95. The state of the ring and the amount of change in the ring operation can be transmitted from the lens 90 to the lens connecting portion 91. Further, the type information of the lens 90 itself can also be transmitted to the lens connecting portion 91.

The lens communication unit 92 transmits the lens control information sent from the system control unit 50 to the lens contact of the lens connection unit 91. At the same time, the lens communication unit 92 transmits the lens information sent from the lens contact of the lens connection unit 91 to the system control unit 50. The system control unit 50 can store the received lens information as metadata in moving image data or still image data and store it in the recording medium 200.

The power supply unit 30 includes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery or a Li ion battery, an AC adapter or the like. The recording medium I / F18 is an interface with a recording medium 200 such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium 200 is a recording medium such as a memory card for recording a captured image, and is composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like.

Next, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a guidance display displayed on the display unit 28 when the spherical aberration changing ring 95 is operated. Further, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of displaying the guidance display shown in FIG. A guidance display when the spherical aberration changing ring 95 is operated will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

The process of FIG. 3 is realized by expanding the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 and executing (controllable) by the system control unit 50. Further, this process is started from a state in which the power supply unit 30 is turned on (power is turned on) and the entire system of the digital video camera 100 is stably started.

In step S301, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the lens 90 mounted on the lens connecting unit 91 is a lens having a spherical aberration changing mechanism (spherical aberration variable lens). If the system control unit 50 determines that the lens is a variable spherical aberration lens, the process proceeds to step S302, and if it is determined that the lens is not, the process of this flow ends.

In step S302, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the spherical aberration has been changed by a predetermined threshold value or more by the spherical aberration changing ring 95 provided in the lens 90. By considering the threshold value in this step, it is possible to avoid annoying the user by displaying the guidance for each fine adjustment operation. If the system control unit 50 determines that the change is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S303, and if it is determined that the change is not made, the system control unit 50 repeats this step. Here, the threshold value or more means that the spherical aberration changing ring 95 has been rotated by half a turn or more, or has been rotated by one or more turns.

In step S303, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the digital video camera 100 is recording a moving image. By determining this step, it is possible to prevent the guidance display from obscuring the display unit 28 during video recording and interfering with the shooting operation. If the system control unit 50 determines that the moving image is not being recorded, the process proceeds to step S304, and if it is determined that the moving image is being recorded, the system control unit 50 returns the process to step S302.

In step S304, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the amount of aberration has increased by a predetermined amount or more by the operation of the spherical aberration changing ring 95 in step S302. If the system control unit 50 determines that the amount of aberration has increased by a predetermined amount or more, the process proceeds to step S305, and if it determines that the amount of aberration has not increased, the process proceeds to step S308. Here, the predetermined amount or more may be, for example, the minimum change amount or more of the spherical aberration changing ring 95 that can be detected by the system control unit 50. Alternatively, by setting the minimum amount of aberration change that can be distinguished from erroneous operation and making it greater than or equal to that amount of change, it is possible to avoid displaying unnecessary guidance when the user inadvertently touches the spherical aberration change ring 95. can do.

In step S305, the system control unit 50 determines whether the aberration has increased in the positive direction or in the negative direction. If the system control unit 50 determines that the increase is in the positive direction, the process proceeds to step S306, and if it is determined that the increase is in the negative direction, the process proceeds to step S307.

In step S306, the system control unit 50 causes the display unit 28 to display the guidance display. Specifically, any one of the guidance examples (1.1), (1.3), (1.5), and (1.6) in FIG. 2 is displayed. The guidance to be displayed may be a combination of a plurality of contents of these guidance examples.

By displaying the guidance example (1.1), it is possible to inform the user that the soft focus effect is adjusted by changing the spherical aberration and the image has changed. The screen configuration displayed on the display unit 28 at this time is shown in FIG. FIG. 4A shows a case where the guidance is displayed on the live view image, and FIG. 4B shows the live view image displayed smaller than the entire display range of the display unit 28 and the guidance is displayed in the peripheral area thereof. Shows the case. The same effect can be obtained in either case. Both 401 and 402 show guidance display, and guidance example (1.1) is displayed. The guidance display that appears in the subsequent embodiments and steps will also be the content in which each guidance example is displayed in the same screen configuration.

By displaying the guidance example (1.3), it is possible to inform the user that the effect of soft focus has been strengthened by changing the spherical aberration. By displaying the guidance example (1.5), it is possible to inform the user that the effect of soft focus is strengthened by changing the spherical aberration, and that the desired soft focus effect is applied to the subject existing in the rear pin direction in particular. .. By displaying the guidance example (1.6), it is possible to tell the user which part of the image the change in the soft focus effect caused by the change in the spherical aberration is easy to understand.

In step S307, the system control unit 50 causes the display unit 28 to display the guidance display. Specifically, any one of the guidance examples (1.1), (1.3), (1.4), and (1.6) in FIG. 2 is displayed. The effect of the guidance example overlapping with step S306 is the same as that of step S306. The guidance to be displayed may be a combination of a plurality of contents of these guidance examples.

By displaying the guidance example (1.4), it is possible to inform the user that the soft focus effect is strengthened by changing the spherical aberration, and that the desired soft focus effect is particularly applied to the subject existing in the front pin direction.

In step S308, the system control unit 50 causes the display unit 28 to display the guidance display. Specifically, the content of any of the guidance examples (1.1), (1.2), and (1.6) in FIG. 2 is displayed. The effect of the guidance example overlapping with step S306 and step S307 is the same as that of each step. The guidance to be displayed may be a combination of a plurality of contents of these guidance examples.

By displaying the guidance example (1.2), it is possible to inform the user that the soft focus effect is weakened due to the change in spherical aberration.

In step S309, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the operation unit 70 has been operated during the guidance display in steps S306 to S309. If the system control unit 50 determines that the operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S310, and if it determines that the operation has not been performed, the system control unit 50 repeats this step.

In step S310, the system control unit 50 ends the guidance display in steps S306 to S309. Alternatively, the guidance display may be terminated when a predetermined time such as 3 seconds or 5 seconds has elapsed after the guidance display.

According to the present embodiment, when the soft focus effect is changed by the operation of the spherical aberration change ring 95, the content of the change and the point of interest for confirming the change can be notified to the user by the guidance display. ..

(Modification example)
Next, a modified example of the first embodiment will be described. In the above embodiment, the case where the soft focus effect is obtained by operating the spherical aberration changing ring 95 has been described, but in this modified example, the case where an apodization filter is used will be described. When the apodization filter is used, the blur is changed by operating the aperture ring instead of the spherical aberration changing ring 95.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of the lens 90 that can be connected to the digital video camera 100. The lens 90 is a photographing optical system of the digital video camera 100.

The lens control unit 501 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operation of each unit of the lens 90 by expanding and executing the program stored in the ROM 502 in the RAM 506.

The camera connection unit 503 connects the lens 90 to the digital video camera 100 by mechanically engaging with the lens connection unit 91 of the digital video camera 100. When the lens 90 is connected to the digital video camera 100, the contacts provided in each of the camera connection portion 503 and the lens connection portion 91 come into contact with each other, and the lens 90 and the digital video camera 100 are also electrically connected. NS.

As a result, the lens control unit 501 and the system control unit 50 can communicate with each other, and information about the lens 90 is transmitted from the lens control unit 501 to the system control unit 50 in the connection establishment operation. The lens control unit 501 controls the operation of the focus adjustment unit 504 and the aperture adjustment unit 505 in accordance with a command from the system control unit 50, and provides information on the position of the focus lens (lens front group 510) and the aperture value of the aperture 512. Etc. are transmitted to the system control unit 50.

The front lens group 510 and the rear lens group 511 are arranged on the optical axis 514 of the lens 90, and form an optical image of the subject on the imaging surface of the imaging unit 22. The focus adjusting unit 504 drives the lens front group 510 in the direction of the optical axis 514 to change the focusing distance of the lens 90. As a result, the degree of focusing of the image formed on the imaging surface changes. The focus adjusting unit 504 is, for example, a motor. The front lens group 510 is arranged closer to the subject than the aperture 512, and the rear lens group 511 is arranged closer to the digital video camera 100 than the aperture 512. The position information of the front lens group 510 can be detected by the lens control unit 501.

The diaphragm 512 is arranged on the optical axis 514, and the aperture diameter is adjusted by the diaphragm adjusting unit 505. The aperture adjusting unit 505 is, for example, an actuator. The diaphragm 512 may be manually operated. In this case, the diaphragm adjusting unit 505 has, for example, a diaphragm ring operated by a user and a diaphragm opening adjusting mechanism interlocking with the diaphragm ring. Further, although the aperture adjusting unit 505 is assumed to adjust the F value here, it may be the one that adjusts the T value.

The APD 513 is also called an apodization filter or a smooth transfer focus, and is an optical member whose transmittance gradually changes according to the distance from the optical axis (center of the luminous flux). The APD 513 is arranged here on the optical axis 514 between the aperture 512 and the rear lens group 511. The APD 513 can be said to be an optical member that modulates the radial transmittance distribution of the light rays passing through the pupil of the lens 90. The APD513 may be an optical element in which a film having optical characteristics that modulates the transmittance distribution in the radial direction of the pupil is provided on the surface of the optical glass by vapor deposition or the like. Instead of providing the APD 513, a film having similar optical characteristics may be provided on a part of the optical members constituting the front lens group 510 and the rear lens group 511 by vapor deposition or the like. In this case, the lens corresponds to a configuration that also serves as an APD. APD513 has the effect of realizing a soft blurred image by making the blurred image smoother. Details will be described later.

The drive amount and drive direction of the front lens group 510 may be determined by the lens control unit 501 instead of being instructed by the system control unit 50 to the lens control unit 501. In this case, the system control unit 50 may supply information for obtaining the defocus amount to the lens control unit 501. A part of the front lens group 510 and a part of the rear lens group 511 may function as a focus lens.

<Structure and characteristics of apodization filter>
Next, the optical characteristics of the APD513 will be described. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the standardized pupil radius and the transmittance of APD513. The pupil radius is 0 at the intersection of the optical axis and APD513, and 1 at the maximum pupil radius. Further, the transmittance 1 indicates 100%. That is, FIG. 6A shows that APD513 has an optical characteristic that the light transmittance decreases as the distance in the radial direction from the optical axis increases.

The characteristics shown in FIG. 6A are represented by the following equation (1). In the formula (1), t is the transmittance (0 ≦ t ≦ 1), and r is the normalized pupil radius (0 ≦ r ≦ 1).

t = exp (-r ² / r0 ² ) (1)
On the other hand, the F value and the T value have the relationship of the equation (2).

√ (I0) * √I = F / T (2)
Here, I0 indicates the transmittance (0 ≦ I0 ≦ 1) of the lens group excluding APD513. The transmittance I0 may be obtained by actual measurement or by simulation. Further, I is the ratio of the amount of light between the case without APD513 and the case with APD513. The amount of light can be obtained by integrating Eq. (1), for example. Specifically, I can be expressed by the following equation (3).

Here, an example of obtaining the light amount ratio I analytically is shown. For example, even if the light amount ratio I is actually measured for each F value and the F value and the light amount ratio I are associated with the ROM 502 and held in the form of a table, for example. good.

FIG. 6B shows an example of the relationship between the F value and the T value when I0 is 0.9. The horizontal axis shows the F value and the vertical axis shows the T value. Fmin indicates the minimum F value (release F value) of the lens 90, which is 2.2 in this example. The alternate long and short dash line shows the relationship between the F value and the T value when the APD 513 is arranged on the optical axis 314, and the T value changes non-linearly with respect to the change in the F value, especially in the range where the F value is small. ing. This is because in the region where the F value is small, the influence of the modulation of the radial transmittance by the APD 513 appears on the T value. Further, Tmin is the minimum T value corresponding to the minimum F value 2.2, and is obtained from the equation (2).

The solid line in FIG. 6B shows the relationship between the F value and the T value in the absence of APD513. In the absence of APD513, the T value changes linearly with respect to the change in F value as represented by the following equation (4).

√ (I0) = F / T'(4)
Δ in FIG. 6B represents the difference or the amount of deviation between the T value obtained by the equation (4) and the T value when APD513 is present with respect to the same F value. Δ can be obtained by the following equation (5) using the equations (4) and (2).

Δ = F / T'-F / T = √ (I0) -F / T (5)
The TnoAPD in FIG. 6 shows the T value at the minimum F value Fmin in the absence of APD513. Further, ΔMAX represents the maximum amount of deviation of the T value with respect to the same F value with and without APD513, and is represented by the following equation (6).

ΔMAX = √ (I0) −Fmin / FnoAPD (6)
When the APD513 has a transmittance modulation characteristic such that the transmittance t decreases monotonically with respect to an increase in the pupil radius r as represented by the equation (1), the equations (2), (3), and equations From (5), the T value also decreases monotonically with the increase in the pupil radius r, and Δ increases monotonically. As described above, the defocusing method (bokeh) of the image (blurred image) of the out-of-focus portion is affected by the difference between the T value and the F value. Since the magnitude of Δ affects the magnitude of the difference between the T value and the F value, the magnitude of Δ can also be used as an index of bokeh.

<Effect of apodization filter>
FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a change in the bokeh image due to APD513, that is, a change in the bokeh taste. 7 (a) to 7 (c) are images of the same scene, and all of them include a circular blurred image. Here, it is assumed that FIG. 7A is an image taken without the APD 513. Further, FIG. 7 (b) shows an image taken with APD 513 and the aperture value set to open (Fmin), and FIG. 7 (c) shows APD 513 with the aperture value set to be larger than the open aperture (aperture diameter is smaller). It is a schematic diagram of the photographed image.

In the image of FIG. 7B in which the effect of APD513 is maximized, the inside and contour of the circular blurred image become smoother, and a soft blurred image can be obtained. When the F value is increased, the pupil of the photographing optical system becomes smaller and the decrease in light transmittance due to APD513 is suppressed, so that the outline of the blurred image becomes clear.

Also in this modified example, when the soft focus effect is changed by the operation of the aperture ring, the same guidance as in FIG. 2 described above is displayed. As a result, when the soft focus effect is changed, the content of the change and the point of interest for confirming the change can be notified to the user by the guidance display.

(Second Embodiment)
In this second embodiment, the configuration of the digital video camera is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation when the spherical aberration changing ring 95 is operated in FIG. 2 and a guidance display is performed under specific conditions.

The process of FIG. 8 is realized by expanding the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 and executing the program by the system control unit 50. Further, this process is started from a state in which the power supply unit 30 is turned on and the entire system of the digital video camera 100 is stably started.

The determination in steps S801 and S802 is the same as the determination in steps S301 and S302 in FIG.

In step S803, the system control unit 50 acquires the state of the aperture included in the lens 90.

In step S804, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the aperture value acquired in step S803 is in a state of being narrowed down from a predetermined threshold value. If the system control unit 50 determines that the threshold value is narrower than the predetermined threshold value, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S810, and if it determines that the threshold value is not reached, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S805. Here, the predetermined threshold value is a threshold value determined by whether or not the change in the image due to the operation of the spherical aberration changing ring 95 can be sufficiently perceived, for example.

In step S805, the system control unit 50 determines the state of the subject imaged by the image pickup unit 22 by using the image processing unit 24, and acquires the features described later in S806 to S809. The system control unit 50 uses the features acquired in this step in step S806, step S807, step S808, and step S809, which will be described later.

In step S806, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the contour of the subject and the background color and brightness are close to each other and the contrast is low. If the system control unit 50 determines that the contrast is low, the process proceeds to step S812, and if it determines that the contrast is not low, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S807.

In step S807, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the moving speed of the subject is high relative to the composition of shooting. If the system control unit 50 determines that the relative movement speed is high, the process proceeds to step S814, and if it determines that the relative movement speed is not high, the system control unit 50 advances the process to step S808. Here, the relative moving speed is, for example, moving in 2 seconds or more in half the length in the horizontal direction of the imaging angle of view, moving in 1 second or more in the vertical direction or more of the imaging angle of view, and the like.

In step S808, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the subject is underexposed. If the system control unit 50 determines that the exposure is underexposed, the process proceeds to step S816, and if it determines that the exposure is not underexposed, the system control unit 50 proceeds to the process to step S809.

In step S809, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the shooting environment of the subject is under low illuminance conditions. If the system control unit 50 determines that the illuminance condition is low, the process proceeds to step S819, and if it determines that the condition is not low, the system control unit 50 returns the process to step S802. The determination that the illuminance condition is low is Yes when the brightness is such that sufficient AF performance cannot be exhibited when the spherical aberration is maximized by the spherical aberration changing ring 95.

In step S810, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the history of displaying the guidance example (2.1) of FIG. 2 has been recorded in the system memory 52. If the system control unit 50 determines that the recording has been completed, the process returns to step S802, and if it determines that the process has not been recorded, the system control unit 50 advances the process to step S811.

In step S811, the system control unit 50 displays guidance on the display unit 28. Specifically, the content of the guidance example (2.1) in FIG. 2 is displayed. This display makes the user aware that the soft focus effect is small because the aperture is stopped down, and prompts the user to open the aperture to increase the effect. Further, in this step, the system control unit 50 records the display history of the guidance example (2.1) in the system memory 52.

In step S812, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the history of displaying the guidance example (2.2) of FIG. 2 has been recorded in the system memory 52. If the system control unit 50 determines that the recording has been completed, the process returns to step S802, and if it determines that the process has not been recorded, the system control unit 50 advances the process to step S813.

In step S813, the system control unit 50 displays guidance on the display unit 28. Specifically, the content of the guidance example (2.2) in FIG. 2 is displayed. This display makes the user aware that the soft focus effect is small due to the low contrast of the subject, and prompts the user to change the subject or background in order to increase the effect. Further, in this step, the system control unit 50 records the display history of the guidance example (2.2) in the system memory 52.

In step S814, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the history of displaying the guidance example (2.3) of FIG. 2 has been recorded in the system memory 52. If the system control unit 50 determines that the recording has been completed, the process returns to step S802, and if it determines that the process has not been recorded, the system control unit 50 advances the process to step S815.

In step S815, the system control unit 50 displays guidance on the display unit 28. Specifically, the content of the guidance example (2.3) in FIG. 2 is displayed. With this display, the user can be made aware that the soft focus effect is inconspicuous due to the fast movement of the subject, and the operation of shooting a stationary subject in order to increase the effect can be encouraged. Further, in this step, the system control unit 50 records the display history of the guidance example (2.3) in the system memory 52.

In step S816, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the history of displaying the guidance example (2.4) of FIG. 2 has been recorded in the system memory 52. If the system control unit 50 determines that the recording has been completed, the process returns to step S802, and if it determines that the process has not been recorded, the system control unit 50 advances the process to step S817.

In step S817, the system control unit 50 displays guidance on the display unit 28. Specifically, the content of the guidance example (2.4) in FIG. 2 is displayed. This display makes the user aware that the soft focus effect is inconspicuous because the subject is underexposed and dark, and prompts the user to adjust the exposure to increase the effect. Further, in this step, the system control unit 50 records the display history of the guidance example (2.4) in the system memory 52.

In step S818, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the history of displaying the guidance example (2.5) of FIG. 2 has been recorded in the system memory 52. If the system control unit 50 determines that the recording has been completed, the process returns to step S802, and if it determines that the process has not been recorded, the system control unit 50 advances the process to step S819.

By the above processing, it can be guaranteed that each guidance is displayed only once by each step of step S810, step S812, step S814, step S816, and step S818. Therefore, it is possible to avoid annoying display of the same guidance repeatedly under the setting conditions and shooting conditions that the user has already understood.

In step S819, the system control unit 50 displays guidance on the display unit 28. Specifically, the content of the guidance example (2.5) of FIG. 2 is displayed. This display makes the user aware that the shooting environment is low illuminance and AF is difficult to work, and can prompt the user to turn off the soft focus effect in order for AF to function. In a state where spherical aberration is generated, blurring occurs in the contour of the subject, so AF may not be effective especially in a low illuminance environment. This guidance is useful to alert users to this situation and encourage them to take appropriate action. Further, in this step, the system control unit 50 records the display history of the guidance example (2.5) in the system memory 52.

In step S820, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the operation unit 70 has been operated during the guidance display in steps S811 to S819. If the system control unit 50 determines that the operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S821, and if it determines that the operation has not been performed, the system control unit 50 repeats this step.

In step S821, the system control unit 50 ends the guidance display according to steps S811 to S819. After that, the system control unit 50 returns the process to step S802. The guidance may end after a predetermined time such as 3 seconds or 5 seconds has elapsed from the start of the display.

According to the present embodiment, when the change in the soft focus effect is small even when the spherical aberration change ring 95 is operated, or when the function or performance other than the soft focus effect is affected, the user can display the state by the guidance display. Can be noticed. Furthermore, since it is possible to inform the coping method, the user can recognize what should be done to change the effect.

(Third Embodiment)
In this third embodiment, the configuration of the digital video camera is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation when the guidance is displayed immediately after the lens is started with the variable aberration lens attached and immediately after the lens is replaced with the variable aberration lens.

The process of FIG. 9 is realized by expanding the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 and executing the program by the system control unit 50. Further, this process is started from a state in which the power supply unit 30 is turned off.

In step S901, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the power supply unit 30 is turned on and the entire system of the digital video camera 100 is activated. If the system control unit 50 determines that the system has started, the system control unit 50 proceeds to step S902.

In step S902, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the mounted lens 90 is a spherical aberration variable lens. If the system control unit 50 determines that the lens is a variable spherical aberration lens, the process proceeds to step S903, and if it determines that the lens is not, the process proceeds to step S905.

In step S903, the system control unit 50 reads the guidance display permission setting from the non-volatile memory 56, and determines whether or not the setting is on. If the system control unit 50 determines that the setting is on, the process proceeds to step S904, and if it determines that the setting is not on (display prohibited), the system control unit 50 proceeds to the process to step S905.

In step S904, the system control unit 50 displays guidance on the display unit 28. Specifically, the content of any of the guidance examples (3.1), (3.2), and (3.3) in FIG. 2 is displayed. The guidance to be displayed may be a combination of a plurality of contents of these guidance examples.

By displaying the guidance example (3.1), it is possible to show the user the spherical aberration setting state of the lens 90 and inform the user that the soft focus effect is effective. By displaying the guidance example (3.2), it is possible to inform the user that the soft focus effect can be changed by operating the ring of the lens 90 and prompt the user to change the setting. By displaying the guidance example (3.3), it is possible to tell the user which part of the image the change in the soft focus effect caused by the spherical aberration of the lens 90 is easy to understand.

In step S905, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the lens 90 has been replaced with another lens. If it is determined that the system control unit 50 has been replaced, the process proceeds to step S906, and if it is determined that the system control unit 50 has not been replaced, this step is repeated.

In step S906, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the lens 90 replaced in step S905 is a spherical aberration variable lens. If the system control unit 50 determines that the lens is a variable spherical aberration lens, the process proceeds to step S907, and if it determines that the lens is not, the process proceeds to step S909.

In step S907, the system control unit 50 reads the guidance display setting from the non-volatile memory 56 and determines whether or not the setting is on. If the system control unit 50 determines that the setting is on, the process proceeds to step S908, and if it determines that the setting is not on, the system control unit 50 advances the process to step S909.

In step S908, the system control unit 50 displays guidance on the display unit 28. Specifically, the content of any of the guidance examples (3.1), (3.2), and (3.3) in FIG. 2 is displayed. The guidance to be displayed may be a combination of a plurality of contents of these guidance examples. The effects of these guidance examples are the same as in step S904.

In step S909, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the operation unit 70 has performed an operation to change the guidance display permission setting. If the system control unit 50 determines that the operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S910, and if it determines that the operation has not been performed, the system control unit 50 returns the process to step S905.

In step S910, the system control unit 50 updates the guidance display permission setting recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 according to the operation result of step S909. By this setting and the determination of step S903 and step S907, the display unit 28 can be operated so as not to display any guidance when the user does not need it.

According to the present embodiment, immediately after the system is started or immediately after the lens is replaced with a variable spherical aberration lens, the user can be notified by a guidance display of a point of interest for confirming the characteristics, setting state, and effect of the lens.

(Fourth Embodiment)
In this fourth embodiment, the configuration of the digital video camera is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation when a guidance display is performed during playback of a still image taken with a soft focus effect in FIG. 2.

The process of FIG. 10 is realized by expanding the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 and executing the program by the system control unit 50. Further, this process is started from a state in which the power supply unit 30 is turned on and the entire system of the digital video camera 100 is stably started.

In step S1001, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the mode changeover switch 60 has transitioned to the still image reproduction mode. If the system control unit 50 determines that the mode has changed to the still image shooting mode, the process proceeds to step S1002, and if it is determined that the process has not been performed, this step is repeated.

In step S1002, the system control unit 50 reproduces a predetermined still image and displays the reproduced image on the display unit 28. At the same time, the metadata recorded in the still image data is read out and stored in the system memory 52. This metadata contains information about the lens that was attached when the still image was taken.

In step S1003, the system control unit 50 determines from the metadata obtained in step S1002 whether or not the still image reproduced in step S1002 is a still image captured by the spherical aberration variable lens. If the system control unit 50 determines that the image is a still image captured by the spherical aberration variable lens, the process proceeds to step S1004, and if it determines that the image is not, the process proceeds to step S1007.

In step S1004, the system control unit 50 displays guidance on the display unit 28. Specifically, the content of any of the guidance examples (4.1) and (4.2) in FIG. 2 is displayed. The guidance to be displayed may be a combination of the contents of both of these guidance examples.

By displaying the guidance example (4.1), the spherical aberration setting applied to the still image can be shown to the user, and the user can be informed that the soft focus effect is effective. By displaying the guidance example (4.2), it is possible to tell the user which part of the still image the change in the soft focus effect caused by the spherical aberration should be focused on.

In step S1005, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the operation unit 70 has been operated during the guidance display in step S1004. If the system control unit 50 determines that the operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S1006, and if it determines that the operation has not been performed, the system control unit 50 repeats this step.

In step S1006, the system control unit 50 ends the guidance display in step S1004.

In step S1007, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the image feed operation has been performed in the operation unit 70. When the system control unit 50 determines that the image feed operation has been performed, the process returns to step S1002, and then a new still image is reproduced.

According to the present embodiment, when playing back a still image taken with a variable spherical aberration lens attached, the user can be notified by a guidance display of a setting state of spherical aberration and a point of interest for confirming the effect.

In the above embodiment, the lens 90 is a lens provided with a mechanism for changing spherical aberration, but even if this is replaced with a lens using the apodization filter described in the first embodiment, the lens 90 can be replaced. The same effect as that of the above embodiment can be obtained for the property of smoothing the blur.

The above-mentioned various controls described as being performed by the system control unit 50 may be performed by one hardware, or the entire device may be controlled by sharing the processing among a plurality of hardware. ..

Further, although the present invention has been described in detail based on the preferred embodiments thereof, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various embodiments within the scope of the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. included. Furthermore, each of the above-described embodiments is merely an embodiment of the present invention, and each embodiment can be combined as appropriate.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a digital video camera has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this example and can be applied to any electronic device having a display function. .. That is, the present invention is applied to personal computers, PDAs, mobile phone terminals, portable image viewers, printer devices equipped with displays, digital photo frames, tablet terminals, smartphones, projection devices, home appliances devices equipped with displays, in-vehicle devices, and the like. It is possible.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention also supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads the program. It can also be realized by the processing to be executed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

The invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, a claim is attached to make the scope of the invention public.

13: Display control unit, 22: Imaging unit, 24: Image processing unit, 25: OSD drawing unit, 28: Display unit, 50: System control unit, 52: System memory, 56: Non-volatile memory, 90: Lens, 100 : Digital video camera

Claims (22)

Acquisition of a lens that can acquire an image captured through a lens having a characteristic of blurring as a subject image that has passed through the lens by performing a predetermined process than when the predetermined process is not performed. Means and
A control means that can control to display the image on the display means, and a control means that controls to display the guidance regarding the feature of the blur together with the image.
An electronic device characterized by being equipped with. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined process is a process for adjusting the spherical aberration of the lens. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined process is a process of an apodization filter that gradually reduces the transmittance from the center of the light flux passing through the lens toward the periphery. The feature according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the blur is a feature in which the blur changes depending on whether or not the predetermined processing is performed regardless of the aperture value of the lens. Electronic equipment. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control means controls the display means to display the guidance when the predetermined processing is adjusted. device. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the control means controls the display means to display the guidance when the amount of adjustment of the predetermined process is larger than a predetermined threshold value. The control means controls the display means to display the guidance when the power of the electronic device is turned on with the lens capable of performing the predetermined process attached. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is characterized. The control means according to claim 1 to 4, wherein when the lens is replaced with a lens capable of performing the predetermined process, the control means is controlled to display the guidance on the display means. The electronic device according to any one item. The control means according to claim 1 to 4, wherein when the image taken by performing the predetermined process is reproduced by using the lens, the control means is controlled to display the guidance together with the image. The electronic device according to any one item. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control means controls so that the guidance is displayed only once when the power of the electronic device is turned on. The claim is characterized in that the control means is controlled so that the guidance is displayed on the display means when the setting when the electronic device performs imaging is a setting in which the feature of the blur is unlikely to appear. The electronic device according to any one of 1 to 4. The control means is characterized in that it controls the display means to display the guidance when the situation when the electronic device performs an image pickup is a situation in which the characteristics of the blur are unlikely to appear. The electronic device according to any one of 1 to 4. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the control means is controlled so as not to display the guidance when the setting for prohibiting the display of the guidance is made. .. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the control means is controlled so as not to display the guidance during recording of a moving image. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the guidance is a guidance for explaining the characteristics of the blur. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the guidance is guidance for explaining the direction of change in the characteristics of the blur. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the guidance is guidance for explaining a point of interest for the feature of blur. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the guidance is a guidance for explaining a setting condition of the electronic device in which the characteristic of blur is likely to appear. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the guidance is a guidance for explaining a shooting condition of a subject in which the characteristic of blurring is likely to appear. An acquisition step of acquiring an image captured through a lens that is characterized by blurring of a subject image that has passed through the lens by performing a predetermined process on the lens as compared with the case where the predetermined process is not performed. When,
A control step that can control the display of the image on the display means, and a control step that controls the display of the image and guidance regarding the characteristics of the blur.
A method for controlling an electronic device, which comprises. A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 19. A computer-readable storage medium containing a program for causing the computer to function as each means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

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